


Escape

by Squarepeg72



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Fireworks, Post-Battle of Hogwarts, Vacation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-19
Updated: 2017-07-19
Packaged: 2018-12-04 05:15:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11548236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Squarepeg72/pseuds/Squarepeg72
Summary: Hermione has gone from being part of the Golden Trio to an Avenger. Can she handle the pressure or will old memories break her? Can her new love help her find an escape?





	Escape

**Author's Note:**

  * For [articcat621](https://archiveofourown.org/users/articcat621/gifts).
  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [OffTheBeatenPath](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/OffTheBeatenPath) collection. 



> **Prompt:**  
>  Hermione crumbles under the pressure of being an Avenger. Her partner thinks a vacation is just what the two of them need.
> 
> Kinks: Hurt/Comfort!Sex, Dom!Hermione, Nude sunbathing, Exhibitionism  
> Squicks: Non Con, Main character death  
> Additional Notes: Would love some Angst and mild PTSD here. I really want to see Hermione struggle with the pressure and how they cope with it while on vacation. Hopeful/happy ending please!
> 
> Music: Unsteady by XAmbassadors, Free by 6LACK, Like Real People Do by Hoizier

[](https://www.flickr.com/photos/148170750@N07/35265205763/in/dateposted-public/)

_Hermione was running through the Forbidden Forest casting curses behind her as she ran. She felt the sting of curses as they landed on her back. She seemed to be running forever, Screaming, Hermione felt herself falling towards the forest floor …_

Hermione sat straight up in bed. Sweat dripped into her eyes as she took in her surroundings. She was not in the Forbidden Forest being chased by Death Eaters. She was in her flat in Washington, D.C. She had come there to help other War heroes keep the peace in every part of the world, not just the Wizarding part. When she took the assignment, Hermione was looking for a little less chaos and a little more peace and quiet. That’s not what she got. Working with the Avengers meant more time fighting and less time resting. The only good to come of all of this was the man sleeping beside her. Steve had been the best surprise of this whole assignment. Quiet walks among the monuments had lead to dinner and dancing. Dinner and dancing had lead to quiet kisses. Quiet kisses had lead to sharing everything … including her nightmares and his regrets.

Hermione looked around the dark room, Steve was snoring softly beside her and the light was still shining under the bathroom door. These nightmares were becoming more frequent and feeling more real. The last mission with the Avengers in Africa had hit too close to home. Hermione was tired of pulling people from the rubble of buildings and trying to contain those who pursued power for their own gain in spite of the consequences to those around them. She was going to have to talk to Steve about taking a trip home to ground herself. Hermione knew she needed time away from the battles if she was going to keep her sanity. She would talk to Steve about it in the morning. For now, she rested her head on his shoulder and tried to go back to sleep.

_Light filtered through the curtains as Steve looked across the room. He could see her silhouette in the curtains. So close but so far. Every time he reached for her, she moved further away ..._

Steve woke as the sun peeked in the window. He knew Hermione had not been sleeping well. He pretended to sleep when her nightmare caused her to sit straight up in bed last night and he knew they need to talk about why her nightmares were returning. The sleepless nights had been getting worse with each mission. Hermione needed time away before she broke. For now, he was going to enjoy having her snuggled up against him and listen to her relaxed breathing.

It had been a quiet morning. Steve sat at the table staring into his cup of coffee. He was trying to figure out a way to keep Hermione with him, but give her a rest from the stress of working together. He needed to call Nick and get a week or two to take Hermione away from everything. He would try to talk to her about her nightmares when she work up, but Steve understood Hermione’s need not to give them any more power over her sleep than they already did. It was time to find a place away from everything so Hermione could rest. As Hermione stumbled from their bedroom, Steve poured water from the kettle for her cup of tea. If he wanted to keep these mornings, he was going to have to find a way to help Hermione deal with her past. Because, he wanted her future…

Steve didn’t often use his status as Captain America to get what he wanted, but this was an exception. He wanted Hermione to relax and enjoy something completely, well, American. There was nothing that screamed American more than the Fourth of July in Washington, D.C. He had gotten them the penthouse suite on the Mall side of the George Hotel. Room service of picnic fare, a blanket on the patio and a view of the Mall through the floor to ceiling windows of the suite - everything was set up for the perfect Fourth of July Celebration. Now all he had to do was talk Hermione into leaving her research behind and joining him for a night on the town.

“Come on, sweetheart. It is a tradition. We’ll go to this nice place I know downtown and have a picnic and watch the fireworks,” Steve said as he started packing his backpack. “We can watch the fireworks and the people and not worry about work or the world falling apart for a couple of hours.”

“I don’t know, Steve. We have that artifact from our last trip to Africa …” Hermione trailed off as Steve held up a fresh cup of tea and a Krispy Kreme donut. He knew how to bribe her. There were not many American treats Hermione loved, but a there was something about that donut. She could be pulled from almost any research by the smell of all that warm, sweet, sticky goodness. Hermione had decided that there was magic of some kind involved, no matter what Steve said. “So … If I agree to this adventure, what is my reward?”

Steve raised an eyebrow as he waved the donut inches from Hermione’s nose. “A dozen of these, fresh and hot, if you hurry. The app says there should be some ready by the time we get to Dupont Circle and then it is only a Metro ride away to the hotel.” Steve handed Hermione the cup of tea and took a bite out of her donut before he walked out of their bedroom. “But if you want to stay here and look through some musty book for answers that can wait until tomorrow ...:” Steve’s voice trailed off as he walked out.

Hermione closed the book she was reading and followed Steve into the living room. “Okay, so if I am going to go along with this, what do I need? How are we going to ride the Metro without being recognized? I hate the way people treat us when they know who you are. It is not like I can hide this hair, “ she asked as he reached in the closet and grinned. She looked at what he was holding. “How is that baseball cap and a pair of sunglasses going to hide who each of us is?”

“People never look beyond the hat and glasses when they are in a hurry. You can zap us close to the donut shop and then we can use our disguises to get to the hotel. Just put on that red and white top you got the other day and a pair of jeans. You’ll fit right in.” Steve continued to pull stuff out of the closet and put it in his bag. “Grab something comfortable to wear tomorrow and we will be ready to go.”

Hermione took her tea and another donut back to the bedroom to get ready. She did not see how a pair of glasses and a puffball of hair sticking out of the back of this baseball cap was going to hide her from the world. After putting a comfortable outfit in her beaded bag and her feet in sneakers, Hermione left the bedroom to join Steve. He was wearing a dark blue t-shirt that hugged his chest and a hat that matched hers. “Are you ready for this?” he asked as he slid his sunglasses on. “Time to work your magic and earn your donuts.”

Laughing, Hermione apparated them to the safe space close to the donut shop in Dupont Circle. No one seemed to pay attention to the laughing couple walking hand in hand into the shop. Steve ordered a dozen donuts and brought Hermione a fresh one to their table in the back of the shop. “See, the hat is an amazing disguise. No one is even bothering us. TIme to brave the Metro and get to the next stage of your first Fourth of July.”

The Metro ride to Union Station was uneventful. Hermione had learned to navigate DC using the Metro and enjoy watching the people rushing around them. Once Steve had them checked and settled in the penthouse, Hermione decided she needed another donut. She grinned as she looked at the writing she found. He was not as disguised as he thought. A nice donut shop worker had slipped a candle into the box of donuts and written “Happy Birthday Captain!” on the inside of the lid. “Oh, Steve! I didn’t know today was your birthday.” Hermione exclaimed as she tried not to laugh.

“How did you know that? I never told you.” Steve asked as he turned around. Hermione held out a candle decorated donut and pointed to the inside of the donut box. “I could have sworn no one recognized us.”

“Not us, just you.” Hermione replied. She continued to wander around the suite until she got to the windows. “The view from here is amazing.” Hermione watch the city move around them and looked towards the Mall where people were beginning to gather to watch the fireworks later that night. “So other than donuts, what do you have planned for me?”

“Just be patient. We are going just relax and watch the clouds pass by until it’s time for our picnic,” Steve replied as he spread a blanket on the patio in front of the window looking out onto the Mall. “I know how much you hate crowds, so I thought we could enjoy our picnic and fireworks from right here.”

“You did not have to go to all this trouble. I would have been fine on the grass of the Mall like everyone else,” Hermione told Steve as she brought pillows from the bed to scatter on the blanket Steve had spread on the floor. “I don’t think I have ever had picnic on a balcony before.”

“Fewer bugs and people this way,” Steve replied. “”People can get crazy down on the Mall for this so I figured this would be better for your first time.” Steve got up from the floor to answer the knock at the door. “Perfect timing. Dinner is served.”

Steve rolled the cart to the patio and began to place the food on the blanket. Plates loaded with hamburgers, hotdogs, potato salad, baked beans, and potato chips soon filled the blanket and food was still on the room service cart.

“Steve, how are we going to eat all of this? I am not that hungry,” Hermione asked as she looked at all the food around her.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart. We have hours to enjoy ourselves and the fireworks don’t start until after dark. We will just take it one plate at a time. Besides, I am a growing boy and need to fuel the machine.”

Hermione rolled her eyes and carefully placed a little of everything on her plate. She settled down onto the blanket and began to eat. Steve joined her with his plate overflowing with food. They ate and watched the people begin to gather on the Mall. As the crowd grew, Hermione was glad Steve had found them a quiet, and people-free place to watch the show. At some point, he had turned on the television and they listened to the coverage of events going on in DC as they enjoyed their time together. Hermione put her plate to the side and leaned into Steve’s shoulder. “Do you mind if I rest for a little bit?” She asked as he put his plate on the blanket.

“Let me put our things on the table and we can rest together,” Steve answered. He took the remains of their meal back to the room service cart and began to arrange the pillows to create a comfortable spot on the floor with a view of the Mall. “My shoulder is at your service,” he told Hermione as they settled into the nest he had created. Steve ran his fingers through Hermione’s hair as she settled against him and drifted off to sleep. He used her nap as an excuse to hold her tight and make sure she rested.

As the sun started to set, Steve kissed Hermione on the forehead. “Wake up, sleepy head. It is almost time for the show to start.”

Hermione mumbled and continued to snuggle against Steve. “Sweetheart, you are going to miss the show if you don’t open your eyes,” Steve whispered against her lips as he kissed her. Hermione blinked and began to kiss him back. Steve ran his hands down her back and let his fingers slip beneath the waistband of her jeans. “Come on, sweetheart. Wake up for me so we can watch the fireworks. Or we can just make some fireworks of our own.”

Hermione slowly woke up as Steve continued to kiss her. “I think I could get used to waking up like this.”

Steve continue to sprinkle kisses from Hermione’s lips to her jaw to her neck. Hermione loved the feel of his lips against her skin as she ran her fingers through his short hair. “As much as I am enjoying these fireworks, you promised me a show I would never forget outside that window.”

“Alright. We will watch the fireworks over the Mall and then we will have desert,” Steve huffed as he got up from the blanket and retrieve the items he would need to teach her how to make s’mores. “This may take a little of your magic to get the fire going but I think you will like it.” Steve returned to the blanket and settled into the pillows. Pulling Hermione into his lap, Steve settled them into the blankets facing the Mall as the world outside turned dark. As the first fireworks lit up the sky beyond the Washington Monument, Hermione whispered, “Happy Birthday, Steve.”

Steve watched the lights in the sky reflect in Hermione’s eyes. The boom from the first multi-shot volley of fireworks caused Hermione to jump in Steve’s arms. Kissing her temple, Steve said, "I’ve got you, always.”

Hermione continued to stare into the night as the fireworks lit up the sky. Time seemed to slip away …

_Sparks flew everywhere as spells left the wands of young and old. The air was filled with the colors of spells hurled at each other. Hermione turned and cast spells without thought or plan. Defensive, then offensive. Protect, then attack. Nothing seemed to be working. The Death Eaters were still coming and friends were falling all around her. Looking up, Hermione saw Ron and Harry. “Run, Ronald, Run! Harry! He’s behind you!” Hermione yelled over the sounds of battle. “Run…”_

Steve watched in horror as Hermione screamed and stared with unblinking eyes. The way she yelled “Run, Ronald, Run!” over and over broke his heart. He needed to bring her back to the present and then they needed to talk. This was more than just nightmares. He needed to find a way to help her deal with her stress. He knew how stubborn she could be about it, but talking to someone had helped him deal with memories that haunted him and he hoped it would do the same for her. She also needed rest, away from the demands of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Ministry.

Pulling her gently to his chest, Steve whispered in her ear, “Come back to me, sweetheart. You are safe here. I need you to come back to me. Don’t let the past take our future. Come back...”

_Hermione could still see spells lighting the sky as she fought back to back with Harry and Ron. There were too many people flying here and there to keep track of friend or foe. Cast one spell, defend against the next. Her arm and mind were getting tired. She was hearing things. A voice whispering, “Come back to me, sweetheart. Come back…”_

Slowly, Hermione became aware of Steve’s arms around her. Tears were running down her face and her throat hurt. “What happened?” She asked as Steve kissed her forehead. “Where have I been?”

“You decided to fight an old battle that I could not join you in fighting,” Steve answered quietly. “I think the fireworks triggered something in your memory. I know the last few missions have been tough and you have been having nightmares, but I never expected this.”

“This has happened before,” Hermione explained. “Not long after the War, I spent some time at St. Mungo’s working with healers to help my mind and body come to terms with what had gone on.” Hermione rubbed the scar on her arm as she talked. “The healers said I should be fine after all the work we had done, but no treatment is ever 100%. They warned that too much stress and not enough sleep could cause old memories to feel like new events.”

“And the fireworks were the final trigger, weren’t they?” Steve asked as he continued to rub circles on Hermione’s back as they talked. “Combine that with the destruction of the last trip to Africa, your brain took a trip you didn’t want to go on, didn't it?” With Hermione in his arms, Steve stood quietly and walked back into the penthouse.

“I think I need to take a break and go home,” Hermione said, staring out the window. “I think I need to go back to the healers that helped me before. But, I know I still have a commitment to S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers, too. What am I going to do?”

Steve dropped to the couch, still holding Hermione tightly. “Let me talk to Nick and your American Minister in the morning. You need to try to rest. I’m going to stay right here with you until we get this figured out.” Steve settled Hermione against his shoulder and began to play with her hair. Kissing the top of her head, he simply said, “Rest.”

By the time Hermione woke the next morning, Steve had been in contact with Nick Fury, the Minister of Magic, and Hermione’s healer in London. All of them had agreed that Hermione needed rest and relaxation, so Steve arranged for a portkey to transport them to a two week vacation. Hermione had never been to Hawaii and he wanted to show her Paradise.

Hermione stumbled into the sitting area of their suite and Steve handed her a cup of tea. “Fury and the Minister both think you need some time away from missions. I talked to Healer Roxanne Harper at St. Mungo's and she said a week or two with no work and then regular Floo appointments should get your balance back and maintained. I have arranged for us to portkey to Paradise for a couple of weeks. We can pack when we get back to our place.”

“Are you sure about this, Steve? I can go home and work with Healer Harper while you stay here and keep working. There is no need to stop working with the artifact and find out what was really going on in Africa.” Hermione began to pace around the room as she sipped her tea.

Steve reached out and pulled her gently to his chest. “I am sure I want to spend time with you and I am sure I could use a break from work. We are taking a well deserved vacation in Paradise and you are not taking anything remotely related to research or work in that Mary Poppins bag of yours.”

“Okay. When and where do we port from? If we are going to be gone for very long I will need to at least put some clothes in my Mary Poppins bag,” Hermione began to gather her things from around the penthouse suite as Steve watched. “I can apparate us straight home instead of riding the Metro.”

“The ‘Hot and Fresh’ sign will be lit if we take the Metro,” Steve teased as he held his app up for her to see. “We can apparate after I have had coffee and you your donuts.”

Hermione and Steve checked out of the hotel and headed back to their apartment. Once everything was packed, Steve held out his hand and touched the cap on his head. Hermione watched to world swirl by as the portkey transported them to their vacation destination. As she looked around, Hermione was amazed by how bright the world seemed. “Welcome to Kapuaa, Hawaii. Where the only thing you have to do is rest,” Steve said as he lead her to their bungalow. “I have made arrangements with our hosts to borrow a couple of horses for the day. Joe and Kelly have put together a nice picnic and directions to a quiet and private beach for us to enjoy while we are here.”

“So nothing but sun, sand, food, and horses for the next fortnight?” Hermione asked as she watched Steve carry their bags into the bungalow. “I think I could get used to that. But I need to find a charm to keep the sand on the beach on not on me.”

“I’ll call Joe and find out when the horses and picnic will be ready. Go get your suit on and find something to wear for riding.” Steve turned to leave the bungalow.”I’ll be back in a little bit and then we can head out.”

Hermione took her time unpacking and getting her bearings. The view of the ocean out their window was amazing and, Steve was right, this felt like Paradise. When he returned with a picnic basket and blanket in his hands, Hermione, and her bag, were read to go. They walked hand in hand to the stables, Hermione was excited and nervous to meet her ride.

“This isn’t hard, is it? I occasionally have issues with riding things. I was never really good at riding a broom and I only remember hanging on for dear life when we rode the dragon out of Gringotts.” She shyly told Steve as they got ready to mount their horses.

“Not to worry, sweetheart. These gentle giants know the trails better than we do. All you have to do is hang on and they will get us there. If you want to try more, I will teach you once we are on the beach.” Steve replied as he helped Hermione up onto her horse. “Now, time for a nice, quiet, restful adventure.”

As they rode to the beach, Steve and Hermione talked about nothing and everything. She told him about the Battle of Hogwarts and he told her about his war experiences. Healer Harper had told both of them that the more they talked about their experience the easier it would be to deal with the memories when stress gave them a gateway into other areas of their lives. Once they made it to the beach and had their horses tethered in the shade, Steve and Hermione began to set up their space on the beach for the day. Hermione cast charms to keep the sand off themselves and the blankets while Steve unpacked their lunch. “A dip in the ocean or a snack first?” He asked as he pulled a white and green box from the picnic basket.

“If that is what I think it is - snack then ocean. Give me those DONUTS!” Hermione began to chase Steve across the sand. “I need my donuts, Steve. Get back here with that box!”

Hermione chased Steve around the beach until they both collapsed on the blanket laughing. Hermione felt her spirit lift. Steve smiled down at her as Hermione opened the box of donuts and ate one. “Now that you have had a snack, we have to wait to get in the ocean. I guess we could catch some rays and a nap.”

Steve removed his shirt and settled on to the blanket as Hermione stripped down to her bikini and settled on her stomach on the blanket. Hermione untied her top and asked Steve to rub some lotion on her back. Steve’s hands felt good sliding over her skin. Hermione fell asleep with the sun shining on her back and Steve's hands on her skin.

A little while later, Hermione woke to kisses fluttering along her neck.

“MMM, this is the best way to wake up from a nap,” she murmured sleepily as she turned over to kiss Steve’s lips. “You taste like coconut and paradise.”

“I bet you taste even better,” Steve whispered against her skin as he continued to trail kisses down her neck and along her collarbone. Steve continues the trail of kisses down her body until he reached her bare breast. Fluttering kisses turned to nibbles as Steve took her nipple into his warm mouth. “Tastes as sweet as the strawberry it resembles,” Steve murmured as he kissed his way to her other nipple. Hermione felt herself grow more wet as Steve lavished attention on her breasts with his calloused hands and talented tongue. Hermione ran her hands through his hair as she tried to remain grounded. Steve’s fingers continued to burn a trail down her body as he lavished attention on her breasts and neck. Hermione’s fingers slide down Steve’s back as he continued his slow assault on her senses. She could feel his hard length against her thigh as he settle between her legs. Just when she thought she could not take any more, Hermione felt Steve kiss the underside of her breast and trail kisses along her ribs. Moaning his name, Hermione pulled on Steve’s hair to get him to return his kisses to her lips.

“Be patient, sweetheart. I haven’t finished tasting you yet,” Steve told her as he slipped his hands under the waistband of her bikini bottom and tugged it off her hips.

Hermione thrust her hips up as she felt his tongue lick along the edges of her pussy. “Steve, please … I need you …”

“Paradise … this is what paradise tastes like,” Steve whispered as he continued to tease her clit and pussy. Hermione felt like she was going to fall over the edge as Steve inserted one and, then, two fingers into her dripping pussy. Hermione’s fingers twisted into Steve’s hair and tugged as she fought her need to fall into her orgasm. “Not yet, sweetheart. We still have more to taste.” Steve quickly removed his swim trunks and returned to the cradle created of Hermione’s thighs.

Hermione’s hands wandered over his body and soon found his hard cock. As Steve trailed kisses up her neck towards her lips, Hermione closed her hand over him and began to slide up and down. “Sweetheart,” Steve groaned, “if you keep that up, I am not going to last long.”

“Who said anything about lasting. I need to feel you deep inside me,” Hermione whispered as she smoothed the drops of precum that had seeped out over the head of his hard shaft. Pulling her hand from his cock, Steve put both of her hands into one of his and held them over her head.

Slowly, Steve granted her request. He could feel her contract around him as he sunk into her heat. Steve held himself still as he tried to gather the threads of his control. “So good," he panted between breaths "Paradise is right here.”

Steve began slide in and out of her tight channel. Hermione gasped at the sensation and chased his hips with her own. Soon the only sounds that could be heard on the beach were the waves crashing on the shore and the bodies of the lovers cresting on the beach. Hermione gasped Steve’s name as she came around his velvet shaft and Steve groaned her name as he shuttered his release into her.

Kisses and fingers fluttered over exhausted bodies as Hermione and Steve lay tangled together on the blanket. “I may never move again,” Hermione groaned as Steve pulled her against his side and settled her head on his shoulder. “This is my paradise. In your arms is my safe space.”

Hermione and Steve laid together on the blanket listening to the sounds of the surf before them and the forest behind them. “I could stay like this forever,” Steve whispered into her hair as her eye drifted closed. “But, sweetheart, we may want to put some clothes on before we have sand and sunburn in some uncomfortable places.”

Hermione and Steve pulled their swimming suits back on and took a stroll along the beach. The surf licked at their feet as they walked and talked. They decided that the memories they were creating on this vacation would be their anchor for future plans and dealing with the stress of their occupations. As the sun set, Steve packed up their blanket and picnic and saddled the horses. “Time to head back. We have two weeks to enjoy this view.”

Hermione and Steve rode back to the stables in the quiet of dusk. After getting the horses settled in the stable and their picnic supplies returned to their host, they made their way back to their bungalow. As they settled into the big bed in their bedroom, Steve played with Hermione’s hair and drifted off to sleep.

_Hermione felt the sun on her face and the blanket and sand beneath her. As she looked around, she saw a green and white box sitting on top of the picinic basket beside her. She was watching Steve play with bright, curly haired child in the surf. Her heart felt full as she watched the little one run towards the blanket. “Mama, Daddy says it’s time for birthday donuts …”_

**Author's Note:**

> A special "Thank you" to my lovely betas, xxDustnight88 and GaeilgeRua for their amazing skills and encouragement.
> 
> For articcat621 - without your amazing prompt this would never have been possible <3


End file.
